PREP ROUNDUP: Clark Fork football hangs tough with highly-ranked Wallace squad

FOOTBALL

Wallace 60, Clark Fork 36

CLARK FORK — In a game where the Wampus Cats were heavy underdogs and only had 11 healthy players, junior Solomon Holderman carried the ball 15 times for 119 yards and two touchdowns as Clark Fork scored 30 points in the fourth quarter in a 60-36 loss to 1A North Star League rival Wallace on Friday.

After failing to stop the Miners on their first possession, Clark Fork responded with a 25-yard rushing touchdown from Holderman. Wallace, however, would go on to score the game’s next 36 points. Down 44-6 with 11:54 left in the fourth quarter, senior Evrett Montgomery, who had 102 yards from scrimmage and an interception on the Wampus Cats’ own 1-yard line in the contest, returned a kickoff 92 yards to bring the Wampus Cats within 30 points, 44-14. The Wampus Cats wouldn't go away quietly.

With 10:47 remaining, sophomore Cameron Stewart, who had two receptions for 45 yards, hauled in an interception as the Miners were driving and the Wampus Cats marched down the field again and scored thanks to a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Holderman. Down 52-20 with 7:04 remaining, sophomore quarterback Mateo Cruz, who had two total touchdowns and 105 yards passing, connected with Stewart for a 35-yard score. The Miners responded again, but Clark Fork carried, literally, their momentum all the way down the field and scored to make it a 60-36 game with seven seconds remaining thanks to a 2-yard rush from Cruz.

“After last week, our focus was just trying to get better everyday,” Clark Fork High head coach Patrick Young said. “This is a mark of a team trying to get good — one day at a time. We have six guys who never even played organized sports before. Obviously we didn’t win, but it was a good performance. It’s a loss, but a loss where I can walk away saying we played pretty well for what we have.”

Wallace High freshman quarterback Cooper Miller had 465 total yards and six total touchdowns. Sophomore receiver Emmitt Myles had four receptions, all for touchdowns, and 192 total yards on the night. Junior halfback Alex Grubbs had 158 total yards and two touchdowns for the Miners (3-0), who are receiving votes in the 1A Idaho statewide media poll.

Clark Fork (0-2) will be back in action Sept. 20 when they host league newcomer Coeur du Christ Academy.

Wallace 16 8 12 24 — 60

Clark Fork 6 0 0 30 — 36

First quarter

WAL — Myles 52 pass from Miller (two-point good), 9:50

CF — Holderman 25 run (two-point no good), 8:55

WAL — Myles 50 pass from Miller (two-point good), 8:16

Second quarter

WAL — Myles 6 pass from Miller (two-point good), 0:45

Third quarter

WAL — Grubbs 56 run (two-point no good), 5:54

WAL — Myles 84 pass from Miller (two-point no good), 2:33

Fourth quarter

WAL — Grubbs 16 pass from Miller (two-point good), 11:52.

CF — Montgomery 92 yard kickoff return (two-point good), 11:34.

CF — Holderman 30 run (two-point no good), 8:55

WAL — Miller 38 run (two-point good), 7:04

CF — Stewart 35 pass from Cruz (two-point good), 5:21

WAL — Ritchey 1 run (two-point good), 2:49

CF — Cruz 2 run (two-point good), 0:07

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: CF — Holderman 15-119, Cruz 13-47, Montgomery 10-42, Stewart 1-1. WAL — Miller 7-159, Grubbs 10-82, Davis 3-7, Ritchey 1-1.

PASSING: CF — Cruz 8-16-1-105. WAL — Miller 10-17-5-304.

RECEIVING: CF — Montgomery 6-60, Stewart 2-45. WAL — Myles 4-192, Grubbs 3-76, Ritchey 1-31, Davis 2-7.

VOLLEYBALL

Coeur du Christ 3, Clark Fork 2

CLARK FORK — At Clark Fork, the Lady Cats rallied back from down two sets, but the visiting Saints pulled out a 3-2 non-league victory (14-25, 24-26, 25-20, 25-10, 9-15) on Thursday.

Sophomore Nora-Jean Hoy led Clark Fork’s offense, tallying 21 assists. Junior Aurora Lane recorded a team-high 15 kills and contributed 11 assists. Junior Piper Scarlett had seven kills while Hoy and senior Hannah Thompson had five each.

On defense, Thompson and Scarlett had 11 digs apiece while freshman Keira Gannon added 10 of her own and did a great job with serve receive passing on the night.

Clark Fork High head coach Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey said the team had no quit in them, which she was really proud of.

“I was proud of how we built momentum throughout the match, and I’m so impressed with some of the saves our passers and setters were able to get,” Clark Fork High head coach Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey said. “We’ll be dialing in some loose ends to hopefully seal the deal in future five-set matches.”

Clark Fork (0-4) hosts Mullan on Tuesday.